V1U, Z1U, or Z7U?

[Nick Royer]

This year, I started a videography business. I started out with my Canon XL2 and an old Canon Optura Xi as a second camera, which I quickly replaces with a Canon HV30. Towards the end of this year, I would like to sell off the XL2 and replace it with an HD camera. I looked at the Canon A1, but there are several things I don't like about it, so I have pretty much ruled it out as an option. The EX1 and HVX200 were the next two I looked at. I decided that these two are a little beyond my budget as I would need a significant amount of cards to film long events. That leaves me with Sony. I am currently considering the V1U, Z1U, and Z7U. The Z7 seems to be the best solution as I have heard that it has great low-light performance and the option to record to tape and CF cards means that I can use tape for longer record times and CF cards when I am shooting shorter things like commercials. Also, the manual lens is a nice feature because I hate using auto-oriented lenses like the one on the XL2 now that I have grown accustomed to the Sony broadcast cameras. However, the Z7 doesn't seem to have much support behind it. Why is it that there is no forum here for it and the S270 under the Sony section? The V1U and Z1U also seem like attractive options if I decide to spend less money on the new camera. Is it possible that there will be a Z1U replacement or is the Z7 it? Considering they're price and feature differences, I think there may be a Z3U coming down the line from Sony. Of course, there might be some new products introduced at NAB, so I really should wait until the after then but for now my question for you is what are the advantages and disadvantages of the V1U, Z1U, and Z7U? Thanks for your replies.

[Notlad]

Nick,

I agree that the Z7 is a fine camera and is, in fact, the camera I wanted. However at about $6,000 it was almost exactly double the $3,050 I paid for each of my two V1U's after the $300 Sony rebate.

I literally bought two matching V1's for what the Z7would have cost.

As I am starting a Wedding and Event Videography business I felt that my priority should be getting two cameras of matching quality for a consistent look when intercutting footage.

I also liked the idea that the V1U's have a timecode feature where I can slave one to the other's free running timecode to make multicamera editing much easier to synch up.

I was also assured by a Sony factory rep that Sony is going to offer the MRU (memory recording unit) on the Z7 as a standalone item that can be used with the V1U.

The 1/3" imaging sensor of the Z7 vs. the 1/4" of the V1 was something I really would have liked (in addition to the better low light capability) but again not for twice the price.

For One thousand dollars more the Z7 as a choice would be a no brainer but at double the V1's price I just couldn't go for it.

[Nick Royer]

I like everything about the V1U except the low-light performance, which is terrible. If sony came out with a Z7U at $4,500 with 1/3" censors, I would be very tempted. But for what I'm doing, I need a camera that works well in low-light, so that pretty much rules out the V1U for me.

[Jason Ramsey]

Lowlight and small chip HD cams dont' really go together. You'll have to be prepared for light loss going from SD 1/3" to HD 1/3"

The EX1 will perform better in Low Light, but it's rolling shutter may or may not be a deal breaker if you are filming mostly weddings and events, etc. with it.

Concerning needing multiple cards... Well, that may or may not be true.

I'm not familiar with the EX1's record times, but they are longer than the HVX.

Two 32 gig cards on an HVX will net you 2.5 hours of 720p/24pn, or one hour of 1080. Double those for two 64 gig cards (on the horizon). You offload during a break. or you have an assistant who can offload a card for you once it fills up and you can keep on recording on the other. Offload with a laptop w/ pcmcia to external drives or someting, and (if you had an assistant) he could offload to multiple hdd's for redundancy.

Not saying you should do this, or that it's the best option, but just giving you a little about the tapeless workflow. it's different but by no means would you necessarily need tons of cards for long event filming with the increased card sizes that are out now.

I shot a wedding in Indonesia a year ago with 4 8 gig cards. didn't have a problem. The coverage was minimal in contrast for typical coverage there, but probably on par with the average wedding coverage in the states.

Can I ask what you don't like about the A1?

I would avoid CMOS if at all possible if you are mostly filming weddings and such.

Nab is a week away. There may be some new announcements there as well.

Don't forget about the "new dvx" coming out. HD, records to cheap sd cards... looking like it'll be a real nice camera.

later,
Jason

[Nick Royer]

Can I ask what you don't like about the A1?

It has interlaced chips and 24f instead of 24p. No mic and line level switch for the XLR inputs. Tape only. And a few other things I forgot to mention.

The EX1 would be a good option but putting together a good package for it would cost several grand more than the Z7U. And the HMC-150 is may be an option, but I need more information before considering it. I really like the option of shooting HDV to tape or inexpensive CF cards as opposed to the HVX200 which can only record DV to tape. I don't want to go all tapeless yet, especially with P2 or SxS because of the cost. I know I could offload to my MacBook Pro but that seems like more of a hassle to me than I want to take and the cost of the cards is really expensive, especially considering I already have loads of tapes sitting around now. I think I will buy the Z7U with an extra battery and a 16GB flash card for $6000 and then add more as I go along. I really like the ability to use tape now and shoot more on CF cards as I get more of them in the future. The Z7U seems to make the most sense to me and my situation.

Is it possible that Sony will release a V7U with a fixed lens and 1/3" censors? I would definitely consider this if it were in the $4,500-$5,000 range.

Also, one of my main reasons for wanting to go with a Sony camera is expandability. I will be adding additional cameras as business improves. I'm not investing in a camera, I'm investing in a line of cameras. Sony seems to provide the best solution to this as I can ad some V1U's or Z1U's as additional cameras or move up to an S270 if I decide to.

[Nick Royer]

Canon just announced the new XL H1A. http://www.camcorderinfo.com/content/Canon-Sticking-with-HDV-Unveils-XL-H1S-and-XL-H1A-34876.htm. I am very disappointed to say the least. That takes Canon completely off my list, so I'm down to three cameras now: V1, Z1, Z7. At least from looking at the stats, I think I would have issues with the V1 because of low-light performance, which is crucial to some of the stuff I do. The Z1 is four years old now, and on it's way out the door, so I am basically calling the Z7 the winner for now, and I will re-assess next week with new announcements. Nobody seems to want to answer this question, so I'll ask it again: is it possible that there will be a V7? If Sony announces one, I would probably go for that if it had 1/3" sensors.